Kimbra

This song is really pretty sick with The Mars Volta vibe. These musicians know how to have a good time.

BMW M5 - "Bullet"

I really like slow motion videos. It is just so awesome to capture the details that is not noticeable to the eyes. If you are like me who digs this kind of stuff, you should check out this amazing slow motion by BMW. Aesthetically beautiful artwork with melancholy sound design.

Madagascar 3

Have you guys watched Madagascar 3? I think Dreamworks have done it again. I love the way how they create a unique personality out of each character and it is how different the animals are that makes the animation so fun to watch. I was laughing from the start to the end of the film.

The timing of the animals is fantastic and it mimicked the reality really well. The voice actors really bring out the characteristic of each animal and their accents played a great deal in the movie. I love the play with perspective during the circus performance and the sense of humor.

One big attractive bait about animation is the use of exaggerations that is so ridiculous yet believable at the same time.




One of the most memorable scene is when the catchy and contagious remix of the tune " I Like To Move It" entitled Afro Circus plays.

Madagascar is definitely in the Top 10 to wach animated film in 2012.

Why I like Adventure time

I'd been watching Adventure Time for a while now and this show is really epic! So here are my reasons why I like Adventure Time/ why I think the show is popular.

1) The character designs.

Each character is so different from the other. Each got their own style. A human, a talking dog, a lumpy cloud, princesses, flying unicorn, kings, talking game console. The crazy plot, wild characters and lame dialogues makes it really appealing. I especially love the colors and the rubbery arms.

2) The music.

Adventure time has got some really catchy tunes. I love the theme song. It is a basic three chord song but nonetheless a catchy tune on the ukulele. If you go on youtube, you can see thousands of covers of this tune.









One of my favourite songs on Adventure time - Daddy why did you eat my fries


3) Lumpy space princess

I really like this character a lot. LSP is voiced by Pendleton Ward (creator of Adventure Time). Lumpy space is a manly bimbo. Her lines just makes me laugh so hard and I look forward to her appearances from the show. "Oh my globe", "What the lump" The lumpy space language appeals to me.






4) The story behind each character.

I love it when the story of the past of each character is revealed. Such as the Lumpy space Princess and her world, Marceline's broken relationship with his Dad and the Ice King's secret. We are presented with the reasons behind the traits of each individual characters.







I guess there are more reasons why I like it but I think I'm gonna stop here. This show is definitely not for kids but as an young adult I love it!

Collaboration: Mark Foster, A-Trak, and Kimbra

Converse done it again. This time round with three amazing artist  Mark Foster, A-Trak, and Kimbra.




An amazing A-trak mix of Foster the people laid track topped with Kimbra's vocal. Love the layers. We are expecting to hear more of Kimbra collaborating with Foster the People. Their tour in June and July!

Kimbra mentioned it during an interview with Fuse. I can't wait!

Gotye: Music and Animation

This is one of the few artist that I know produces good music and features great animation.

A little bit about Gotye:

• Born in 21 May 1980
• Belgian-Australia
• His real name is Wally de Backer (sounds cool)
• Gotye won the third prize for his song 'Somebody That I Used To Know' for the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition 2011. (Kimbra was in first place)
• Gotye's 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
• On 1 February 2012, Gotye made his American television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Check out their collaboration:





So I had been listening to the song a million times since last year and I happen to come across an interview of him. The little riff at the start of the song was actually inspired by Luiz Bonfa, a song called Seville.




He was attracted to a hynotic certain kind of something to it. I guess the reason I'm attracted to his music is also a kind of hypnotizing melancholy feel in his songs. He mentioned the use of esoteric and weird sources of sounds to create his music such as sound samples and instruments he gets from an antique shop. Pretty neat!








One of my favourite Gotye video is Bronte. The tribal vibe of the song is so hypnotizing and draws me in. The animation by Ari Gibson is amazing. The lighting and the dreamy colours is so incredible. The emotions are overwhelming. You have to check this one out.


Here is a more recent track produced.





 The round and round camera movement gives me a headache after awhile but nonetheless an amazing stop motion.

I guess what makes his music stood out is a blend of visuals, peculiar sounds and emotions that are rare to find these days.

Film Analysis: Children Of Man (2006)

Mise-en-scene

Introduction

The following essay is a discussion of the mise-en-scene of the film directed by Alfonso Cuaró entitled Children of Men (2006). The scene I picked is the crossfire between the British troops and the uprising in the Bexhill refugee camp towards the end of the film.

The scene starts with the unsuccessful escape of Theo, Kee and companions as they were stopped by the Fishes. They were then caught in the crossfire and Theo seeks to rescue Kee from the Fishes.

Setting

The setting is a fictitious depiction of the refugee camp of Bexhill in 2027. During the start of the crossfire, the camera panned to follow Patric. In front of him is a closed shop that reads “Sea spray – Fishing & equipment supplies.” In my opinion made the fictitious portrayal more believable as Bexhill is located near the coastlines and the shop name makes the audience more certain of the geological location of the camp.

The infrastructures in sight are shabby looking and covered with layers of dust. The roads are filled with debris and soil. The air is foggy and grey. Black fumes were seen belching out of buildings. These create a melancholy environment that adds to the depressing situation that the refugees are in. In my opinion, there is also a symbolical meaning that mocks the pollution crisis that we are facing and may result in a deteriorating planet in the future.

The use of props such as wrecked abandoned trains and cars suggests that the refugee camp is unsafe as gunfire probably took place before. It also adds to the intensity of the life threatening situation as chaos and disorganization creates a sense anxiety in the audience.

Costume and make up

The actors wore thick dull jackets and some were armed with rifles. It suggests to the audience that the weather is cold and probably safer to adorn thicker clothing. The perilous circumstances are reflected as they are armed for self-protection.

Special effects makeups were used, ranging from a small visible scab on Theo’s knuckle when he was hiding behind the fragments of a wall to large patches of blood across the actors’ faces and bodies. In the scene where Theo dashed into the building, a gory gut on the floor is squirming next to an injured man. Such replication of the realistic conditions of the human body is visually horrifying and is effective in evoking a sense of fear, disgust and distress in the audience.

The actors also wore makeup to make their faces and hands look dirty. In the close up shot of the baby crying, we can see Kee’s hands and fingers were filthy. This makes the scene more realistic as it depicts the undesirable conditions and suggests the place lacks proper sanitation during political instability.

Lighting

Throughout the entire crossfire scene, low key lighting was used. There were a lot of silhouettes of figures and dead bodies creating a sense of suspense and horror.

The main source of lighting came from outside the building through the broken windows and holes in the wall. In the scene when Luke was having a conversation with Theo in the building, the side lighting through the hole in the wall brings out the eye bags and the weariness in their eyes. This enables the audience to feel the fatigue faced by Theo and Luke in the tough conditions.

Side lighting was used in the scene of the close up shot of Theo leaning with his back against the wall at the staircase in search of Kee. This focused on Theo’s features and reveals his uptightness and uncertainty through his facial expression. It allowed the audience to relate emotionally what Theo is experiencing.

Staging

One of the elements of staging that I find very interesting is the contrast of the gestures of the British troops in the crossfire. In the scene a group of refugees exited from a building in the middle of the crossfire and exclaimed, “Don’t shoot! Citizens! We citizens!” Despite their cry, the British troops shot all the innocent refugees.  In the following shot where Theo and Kee exited same building with the baby, one of the British troops shouted, “Stop! Cease fire!” when he saw the baby. Other soldiers gathered with awe to watch. This evokes emotions in the audience as the baby brought peace to the place and is a miracle before the eyes of many.

In the scene, two of the soldiers kneel and did the sign of the cross when they saw the baby in Kee’s arms. It is a Catholic hand gesture which symbolizes man’s redemption and the emblem of god's mercy towards all. The baby is portrayed as a religious symbol and has a connotation that she is godsend and is a hope for mankind.

Time and Space

One interesting element is the use of a single-shot which follows Theo throughout the crossfire scene. I find it appropriate and very effective it makes audience feel as if they were involved in the crossfire and thus a sense of anxiety and uncertainty. The timing of static shot was longer when Theo was hiding at corners preparing to dash forward to the next spot. This made the audience feel Theo’s sense of hesitation and judgement to ensure his own safety to reach Kee.

In the scene where Theo was out in the roadway, the director uses a deep spaced composition to capture the movements of the people both near and far in the crossfire. This allows a more holistic view of the situation which in my opinion is effective in enabling the audience to observe the facial expression of Theo near the camera and the attackers Theo was looking out for in the distance.

Check out this amazing behind the scenes where they talk about the camera movements in the Children of Men.